The invention relates to an electronic coin checker which has a coin entry channel, in the region of which a sensor arrangement is provided, and has a flap-shaped coin switch which is controlled by a control device in dependence on sensor signals into an acceptance and a return position.
A large number of coin checkers are known in prior art, which all have in common the fact that in the region of the coin entry channel, which communicates with the coin slot, a sensor arrangement is provided which checks that the coin is genuine and admissible. Here one or more sensors are disposed in the region of the coin entry channel, which sensors can be configured inductive, capacitive, optical, optoelectronic, piezoelectric or the like and which supply an electrical signal which is processed by an electronic control and evaluation unit.
In dependence on the sensor signals, coin paths are freed by means of coin switches or coin guiding devices, via which paths the coins are accepted or, in the case of rejected coins, returned.
Such an electronic coin checker is known for example from DE 42 44 870. In this coin checker, the coin to be checked falls, after the coin entry channel and after being checked by the sensor arrangement, through a gap onto a lower sloping guide device inclined in the opposite direction, the sloping guide device being formed by sloping end faces of switch tongues. At the end of the sloping guide device is located a fall shaft which is freed by the switch tongues in their inactive position and which serves to return rejected coins. If the coin to be checked is accepted, the switch tongue corresponding to the checked coin value is activated and the activated switch tongue, provided with the sloping end face, is pivoted out of the sloping guide device, such that the coin is accepted. Electronic coin checkers are generally designed to check a large number of different coins, such that a plurality of switch tongues or flaps or guiding elements are provided to guide the different accepted coins into the corresponding collecting device.
Furthermore in prior art mechanical coin checkers are known in which mechanic and/or permanent-magnetic sensor and checking elements are provided in the region of the coin entry channel. Generally the mechanical sensor and checking elements are so set that they only check one type of coin for its validity, and one acceptance and one return shaft are present. Mechanical coin checkers are usually relatively deep in order to render more difficult manipulation aimed at guiding back coins.
It has now become apparent that it would be desirable to replace a mechanical coin checker by a simple electronic coin checker since the latter can be built more inexpensively and can be set more simply for different types of coin. If mechanical coin checkers are to be replaced by electronic ones, the dimensions of the electronic coin checkers must correspond to those of the mechanical coin checkers. The result of this is that the inclination of the coin entry channel and of the corresponding return channel must be made smaller than in those of the mechanical coin checkers since the mechanical coin checkers have a shorter measurement path in comparison with electronic coin checkers, and thus the coin drops more steeply into the return path. The long measurement path in electronic coin checkers is due to the fact that more measurement parameters are present.
The object underlying the invention, taking prior art into account, is to create an electronic coin checker that has the dimensions of a mechanical coin checker and thus can replace the same and which is suitable for all sizes of coins (up to approximately 33 mm) and in which the coins, despite the coin paths having a very small angle of inclination, do not for example stop at the dead point of the diversion and run at a relatively uniform speed smoothly over the coin track, especially that of the return channel. This object is accomplished according to the subject invention.
Because the electronic coin checker has at the end of the coin entry channel a deflecting device for rejected coins, which alters the coin twice in its inclination or direction, even for large coins up to 33 mm the deflection difficulties are overcome and no xe2x80x9cdead pointxe2x80x9d is produced at which the coin stops. Here the deflecting device comprises the combination of an inclined extension which is integrally molded onto the flap-shaped coin switch and which is inclined in the direction towards the runway of the return channel, and the boundary wall of the return channel, said wall being inclined in the running direction of the coin.
In an advantageous manner, a flap covering the coin checking path can be easily opened by actuation from outside, such that blocked coins slide into a further return channel which is disposed parallel to the first return channel.